Smoke from the South Cle Elum Ridge Fire is visible from Interstate 90 and the Cle Elum vicinity. As of 2 p.m. on Friday, August 8th, the fire is estimated to be 400 acres. Approximately 50 personnel are currently assigned to the fire, with more resources arriving today. Air tankers have lined much of the fire with retardant, and helicopters are working to keep hotter areas of the fire in check. The top priority is to keep the fire south of South Cle Elum Ridge. At this time no structures are directly threatened. As a precaution, the Kittitas County Sherriff’s Department has issued a Level 1 Evacuation for 15 homes on the Woods and Steele Road. Residents there should be aware of the fire situation in the area. Detailed evacuation information for all fires in the county is available through the Kittitas County Emergency Operations Center, at 509-933-8305.

There are Forest Service road closures in place on Forest Road 4510 (Woods and Steele Road), junction of Forest Roads 3352 and 119 (Five Corners) and Forest Road 3300 at the Bridge across the South Fork Taneum Creek.

The fire was called in from an aerial observer around 5 p.m. on August 7, 2014. The fire is located approximately 6 miles southwest of the town of South Cle Elum, approximately one mile southeast of Hicks Butte.

In the first few hours the fire grew over 100 acres. Helicopters and air tankers supported the firefighters in trying to slow fire growth all through the evening on Thursday.

Additional resources from around the state, including a Type 2 Incident Management Team, are arriving to support the initial attack resources. An Incident Command Post is being set up just west of Thorp at the Heart K Ranch.

Fire managers are continuously monitoring the weather and fire behavior. A warming and drying trend is expected Saturday through Monday. Fire behavior has been active well into the night. Forest managers remind recreationists and other forest visitors that fire danger remains high and there are still campfire restrictions in place throughout the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest.

Cle Elum — The site of the Table Mt A Frame, located in Township 21 North, Range 18 East, Section 28 in the northeast quarter and accessed by National Forest System Road 3500-176 has been closed to public entry.The A-Frame, which was operated as a rental cabin by the US Forest Service was destroyed by the 2012 Table Mountain Fire. A large amount of debris, including metal roofing, broken glass, nails, screws, unstable concrete pillars and other hazards remain at the site. “In the interest of public safety, it is necessary to close the site until clean-up can be completed” said Lauren DuRocher, Front Country Recreation Manager at the Cle Elum Ranger Station.

Cle Elum -The long awaited replacement of a culvert on Forest Service Road 3100, Manastash at Buck Meadows will begin on Monday September 16, 2013. The culvert was destroyed by floodwaters in May of 2011. The project, originally slated for August, was delayed by area closures associated with the Manastash Ridge Fire, suppression activities and fire traffic. Construction is expected to take up to two weeks, during which time the road will be closed to through traffic. There is no viable detour around this closure suitable for passenger vehicles. Those in narrow wheel base vehicles, such as jeeps, and those on motorcycles can bypass the construction via trail 4W311; a steep, difficult, double track trail that connects Riders Camp on FS 3100 to FS Road 3111 north east of Buck Meadows. For more information, call the Cle Elum Ranger Station at 509 852 1100.

Cle Elum—The area closure order put in place to protect fire fighter and public safety during the Manastash Ridge Fire, which closed National Forest Land in the South Fork Manastash drainage, has been terminated. It has been replaced with a similar order, which closes only the area south of Forest Service Road 3100, Manastash. “The new order closes all roads and trails south of the Manastash Road or FS 3100, with one exception” said Nancy Jones, Public Information Officer for the Cle Elum Ranger District. “Manastash Campground which is ¼ mile south of the 3100 road will be open.” Under the new order, roads and trails on the Cle Elum Ranger District south of FS Road 3100, west of and including trail 1350 Manastash Lake and east of trail 4W328 Wells Meadows are closed in the interest of public and firefighter safety. “This fire remains active with many islands of unburned fuel within the fire perimeter. Torching in the interior will continue until snowfall, and the potential for moderate to severe fire behavior, though slight, does exist. It is in the interest of safety, for both the public and firefighters, to keep the area adjacent to the fire closed in the short term and reevaluate in the coming weeks” said Judy Hallisey, District Ranger. For more information, call the Cle Elum Ranger Station at 509 852 1100.

Manastash Ridge and Conrad Lake Fires News UPDATE August 24, 2013 Helicopter water drop south of Manastash Ridge in subalpine fir fuel type. August 23, 2013. Credit: Jared Treser Larry Nickey, Incident Commander Brian Gales, Deputy Incident Commander WIIMT #4 http://199.134.225.50/nwcc/t2_wa4/index.htmManastash Ridge Fire Information:http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/3697Conrad Lake Fire Information: http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/3629Fire Information Center(509) 607-6321 Hours:7 AM-9 PMSubdued fire activity and smoke due to cool, moist weather conditions. Manastash Ridge Fire now 2,320 acres burning in high elevation forests near Cle Elum, WashingtonCle Elum, Wash. – The Manastash Ridge Fire, mapped for the first time yesterday from aircraft, is now estimated to cover 2,320 acres of high-elevation forests in the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest. The fire is approximately 12 miles southwest of Cle Elum, Wash., near Shoestring Lake on the North side of the Manastash Ridge Trail, approximately three miles southwest of Manastash Camp. Cooler, moist weather Friday reduced fire activity and growth, producing less visible smoke. This weather pattern is expected to continue through the weekend.

The Washington Interagency Incident Management Team #4, under the command of Larry Nickey, incident commander, is managing the Manastash Ridge Fire and also took over management of the Conrad Lake Fire at 6 a.m. today. The Conrad Lake Fire, located 35 miles southwest from Naches, covers approximately 1,000 acres and is currently 25% contained. The low containment level is due to the fire having so much open line in the wilderness. Management of the Conrad Lake Fire is in a monitoring phase with 150 people assigned. 216 personnel are currently working on the Manastash Ridge Fire, including 9 firefighting crews, 1 falling crew, and 3 helicopters.

These fires are not threatening homes or structures at this time. Despite cooler, moist weather, gusty winds may cause occasional torching and spotting in the Manastash Ridge Fire. The ground is extremely difficult to access over the basalt rock terrain. Roads into the area are very rough, but dozers and graders are being used to improve access. Fire suppression activities are focused on keeping the fire from spotting into stringers of timber below and south of the Ridge. Forest Service Road 3100 (Manastash Canyon Road) will be used as the contingency containment line to the north of the Manastash Fire. Several small fires ignited by lightning on August 22 near Highway 12 west of Naches are being suppressed by initial attack crews and helicopter water drops. Road and trail closures around both fire areas remain in effect. The Forest Service may expand the closure area around Manastash Ridge due to changing fire conditions and increased firefighter traffic. These popular outdoor recreation and hunting areas will see increased public and firefighter traffic over the weekend. To ensure public and firefighter safety, visitors need to drive carefully and stay out of closure areas. Only firefighters, Forest Service or other agency personnel, and law enforcement are allowed access to closure areas. Closure notices have been posted at trailheads and other entry points. A detailed list of closures is available on the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest website. The current strategy for managing the Manastash Ridge Fire is a combination of indirect attack by establishing contingency lines, use of natural fire barriers, and some direct control. Operational tactics being used today include reconnaissance, improving access, and fire line preparation. Divisions on the south perimeter will be suppressing spot fires and preventing movement of fire through timber stringers into unburned forests to the south. Ensuring the safety of firefighters working in this rugged area is the top priority. The proposed actions keep firefighters safely away from the fire, allowing time for limited resources to complete fire lines. Today, eight additional 20-person fire crews have been assigned to the Manastash Ridge Fire. The Manastash Ridge Fire was started by lightning, along with approximately 30 others on August 9. All of the local fires started on August 9 except this one and the Conrad Lake Fire were controlled by initial attack forces. The Manastash Ridge Fire, burning at 6,000 feet elevation in subalpine fir/whitebark pine forest types, became active on Monday, August 19. Jumpers and rappellers attempted to make use of natural rock barriers, helicopter water bucket drops and some retardant to slow fire spread. Retardant dropped along the east flank of the fire and along the rim of the Ridge Wednesday was not effective in stopping the spread of the fire because gusty winds were producing ¼-mile spotting.

There is no estimated containment of the Manastash Ridge Fire at this time. Road and trail closures south of the Manastash Ridge Fire include Forest Service Road 1701 before the Funny Rocks Area and the 1900 road system leading north from Little Naches to Quartz Mountain. On the Cle Elum side, closures include the Manastash Ridge Trail, Shoestring Trail, and roads south from Manastash and Rider’s Camps. Manastash Canyon Road (FS Road 3100) is open to Quartz Mountain. Road closures near the Conrad Lake Fire include National Forest Roads 1000, 1204, 1205, 1200-725, and the 1070 between its junction with the 1000 to its junction with 1070-595. Trail closures include Bear Creek Mountain trail #1130 and Conrad Meadows. Area closures include Rimrock Peninsula Recreation Area and the boat launch. There is no access from the 1200 road onto the 1200-711, 1200-712, 1200-713, 1200-714, 1200-715, 1200-716, 1200-725, and 1200-653 roads. Current closure information is available on the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest website. Roads near the fire will continue to be assessed for closure needs. Closures will depend upon fire activity, weather conditions, and other factors. Visitors should be aware of closures and monitor web sites or call Manastash Fire Information at (509) 607-6321. To stay informed of changing air quality conditions, view http://wasmoke.blogspot.com/Manastash Ridge Fire Facts – Saturday, August 24, 2013 – 0900 HOURS Fire Size: approximately 2,320 acresPercent Contained: 0% Evacuations: No home or structures threatened.Manastash Ridge Closures Summary: A detailed list of closures is available on the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest website. On the Naches side this includes Forest Service Road 1701 before the Funny Rocks Area and the 1900 road system leading north from Little Naches to Quartz Mountain. On the Cle Elum side, closures include the Manastash Ridge Trail, Shoestring Trail, and roads south from Manastash and Rider’s Camps. Manastash Canyon Road (FS Road 3100) is open to Quartz Mountain.Fuels: Heavy ground and ladder fuels, high elevation subalpine fir and whitebark pine forest.Air Resources: Two air attack platforms, two Type II helicopters and one Type III helicopter.Crews: 9 Type II hand crews and 1 feller crewEngines: 0 Dozers: 2 Water Tenders: 3 Road graders: 2Total Personnel: Approx. 216 (68 overhead)

Cle Elum – Contractors will begin moving equipment into a staging area located three miles south of the summit of Blewett (Swauk) Pass on Highway 97 in the coming days. Preparation work for the project will begin in the Sno-Park this week and will have minimal impact on traffic.Beginning Monday August 26, crews will begin removing the existing asphalt surface, expanding the parking area, installing culverts and resurfacing the parking area. During this time, motorists traveling on Forest Service Road 9716 which connects Highway 97 with Forest Service Road 9712 Liberty Beehive and Table Mountain can expect delays of thirty minutes or more.Those wishing to access Forest Service Road 9712 Liberty Beehive, and Table Mountain, can do so from Liberty Road, or Forest Service Road 9705 Durst Creek, or 9711 Hurley Creek.

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The Salmon River Mountain Press shares news from federal and state natural resource agencies, environmental, conservation and recreation groups in Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wyoming. The blog delivers the content one news story at a time.